Bird: Ben Barba will be back at Cronulla

Lehmann hints at changes

Australia coach Darren Lehmann hasn't ruled out changes ahead of the second test at Lord's.

James Anderson confirmed that Michael Clarke rejected an invitation by Alastair Cook for the tourists to join the hosts for a beer following their 169-run defeat inside four days at Cardiff.

Anderson said that England and New Zealand had shared drinks after both of their Tests this European summer and Cook was eager to reach out to Australia in the same way. But the captain was rebuffed, with Anderson in the dark as to why, ahead of the Lord's Test which starts on Thursday.

James Anderson, left, celebrates along with Alastair Cook, third from right, and other teammates after his side took a wicket during the first Test. Photo: Reuters

Speaking at the launch of a documentary charting the progress of a cricket team of Maasai warriors, called Warriors, England's record wicket-taker said: "That's their prerogative. In the New Zealand series, we had a beer after each game with them. We found that was quite an enjoyable thing, just to chew the fat after a hard Test. It didn't matter whether we won or lost.

"At Headingley [where England lost to draw the series], we still went into their dressing room and had a beer with them. It's Cooky's idea. He went and asked them. We were all happy to do it. I don't know why they didn't come in."

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England and Australia shared a beer after each Ashes Test in the 2005 series, widely regarded as the greatest. But such camaraderie was cited by the captain of the tourists, Ricky Ponting, as one of the reasons they lost. Since then, drinks have traditionally been at the end of a series, with Clarke saying before this campaign began that he did not think that would change.

Much less was made before the first Test about off-field interactions between the sides than the on-field -sledging. Anderson claimed that England's domination in Cardiff had silenced the tourists, while the home side wanted to let their cricket do the talking.

"We weren't fussed about trying to create any battles between us and their batsmen, any individual players or anything," he said. "We were really focused on what we were going to do. And that's what we did. When you bat like that and rack up runs, generally the opposition are quiet, no matter who you play against. With the ball, we tried to focus on displaying our skills, which we did. And, with the bat, we tried to keep them quiet in the field."

That tone was set by new head coach Trevor Bayliss, according to Anderson. "He was brilliant - very different to most coaches I've had in the past. Just very laid-back. He just sort of glides around the dressing room throughout the day and then he always picked the right time to say something."

Some might say Bayliss' main task ahead of the second Test is guarding against complacency but Anderson insisted that England were looking to produce an even more complete performance at the home of cricket.

Vowing that they would continue the new-found positive approach that has transformed them from Ashes underdogs to serious contenders, Anderson said: "Every opposition we play at Lord's generally picks up their game 10 per cent, for some reason.

"When teams are 1-0 down, they generally come back strong in the series, so we've got to be prepared for that. We enjoyed the evening the other night sitting in the dressing room. We felt satisfied that we'd done a really good job. That's gone. We've got to try to do the same things again and improve on the performance in Cardiff."

England will be bidding to complete their first hat-trick of Lord's Ashes victories, in what could be the last occasion Anderson faces Australia there in a Test. The 32-year-old, who played in the 2009 and 2013 wins, said: "That thought hadn't entered my mind. Even if it is the last time I play an Ashes Test or any Test there, it will still be a special occasion and I will still enjoy it as much as I did the first time."

Anderson is already planning for his eventual retirement and Warriors marks a foray into film-making for the Lancashire bowler, who is an executive producer of the documentary, which is also backed by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"I wanted to do something good using cricket and I think that is what this film does," he said.

The Telegraph, London

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